Still Life with Fruit Theorem Painting

Maker Unknown, American

Collections

ClassificationsDRAWINGS

Dateca. 1830

Mediumstenciled watercolor on paper

Dimensionsframe: 20 1/4 x 24 1/4 x 1 1/2 in. (51.4 x 61.6 x 3.8 cm.) frame opening: 14 × 18 in. (35.6 × 45.7 cm.)

DescriptionStill life with fruit in a footed bowl; glazed, molded gilt wood frame

Markingsstamped: Thomas De La Rue & Co.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of Jonathan and Karin Fielding

Status

On view

Label TextVisual art, whether drawing or watercolor, in addition to needlework, was considered an essential part of a woman's education. Some women mastered art through theorem paintings, which used paper stencils for outlines. In this way, the amateur artist learned to form certain shapes, like flowers, leaves, or fruit, and to shade, so as to give the illusion of three-dimensionality. This theorem painting is meticulously colored, with extraordinary care given to the leaves' veining and to the powdery covering of natural yeast, called bloom, on the grapes' skin.

Object number2016.25.100